The present invention relates to means for covering the end walls and side wall of a bathtub opening and, more particularly, relates to a bathtub wall surround kit and seals therefor to facilitate installation and maintenance.
In the past, various means for covering the end walls and side wall of a bathtub enclosure have been proposed. It has been common, for instance, for such walls to be covered with ceramic tile, although this is far less common today due to the fact that ceramic tile oftentimes requires extensive maintenance in the form of replacing and regrouting loose or missing tiles and is difficult to clean in a satisfactory fashion capable of removing soap residue and eliminating mildew without damaging the tile surface. More recently, bathtub wall surrounds have been formed of fiberglass or plastic to avoid these problems.
Conventional bathtub wall surrounds usually consist of either three or five pieces. The three piece wall surround usually includes a pair of L-shaped end panels and a single side panel whereas the five piece wall surround may include a pair of end panels, a pair of L-shaped corner panels and a side panel. With these arrangements, the panels are usually attached to the building walls with panel adhesive.
Unfortunately, with both three piece and five piece wall surrounds, the joints between the panels must be sealed with caulk. It is also necessary to caulk the joint between the wall panels and the rim of the tub in order to avoid water damage and to provide the requisite seal. However, caulk is difficult to apply, tends to mildew and dry out after several years, and must be replaced.
Other types of wall surrounds have included three panels which may be flat or formed with soap shelves, grab bars or surface decoration. The panels are then connected by a V-shaped plastic extrusion having a slot in each leg of the extrusion but, in order to make the surround watertight, it is necessary to caulk the joints between the panels and extrusions and, again, between the panels and the rim of the tub. Still other variations requiring caulk include a design where the side wall is in two pieces joined by an H-shaped plastic extrusion.
In addition to the problem of caulk for the joints, bathtub wall surrounds have usually been expensive to ship by reason of their configuration. In particular, with both the three piece wall surround and the five piece wall surround, the L-shaped configuration of the end panels and the corner panels, respectively, have made it necessary to use large shipping containers occupying an inordinate amount of shipping space compared to the weight of the wall surround. In addition, because the panels are vertically disposed, it has not been possible to form a long utility shelf area in the side wall.
In view of the above and other problems, it has remained to provide a bathtub wall surround requiring no caulk, permitting shipment in a small carton, and allowing formation of longer utility shelves.